More Astrology stories

The intensity of the collective continues this month, with the 6th being the exact peak of the Uranus/Pluto square. This is the massive transit that has produced so much chaos since 2012, shaking the bedrock of all our structures and, hopefully, revolutionising our inner and outer worlds. (The final installment comes in January/February of 2016).

This is also going to be a month of fire and water, with some fantastically energising elements in the fire signs, combining with some deeply nebulous and psychically fluid movement in water, a combination that a colleague describes as "astro-weirding".

How we experience this turbulent mix is very much influenced by how well integrated the dynamic and expressive parts of self are with the deeply sensitive and emotional worlds of Pisces and Neptune.

On the plus side, the Sun begins the month in Sagittarius conjunct Mercury, Hekate and Ceres, trining the electrifying and revolutionary Uranus and, progressively into the month, the expansive and growthful Jupiter in Leo (not quite in Grand Trine but the two trines overlap in the second week)

Hekate and Ceres have been travelling together for much of the year, something that will continue into the next as well. The two represent a combination of medicine woman and earth mother, of witch queen and ruler of nature. Both midwives, they represent the birthing of new expressions of the spiritual power and fertility of the body and of the sacred feminine in each of us. Lit up by the Sun, while in Sagittarius they come more into conscious focus, demanding recognition and new manifestations in the world.

This potent combination is literally fired up by both Uranus and Jupiter. The Uranian influence heightens the magical creative elements of this time by mixing the wizard and witch archetypes, with Jupiter expanding the gracious and fertile energies of Ceres/Demeter. This is particularly good for giving form to new spiritual and creative endeavours.

However good this sounds in theory, it all depends on how conscious and integrated Hekate is within, as, like the other dark goddesses, she can carry some heavy and toxic legacies in her distorted forms that can be expressed destructively as well. And this is where it gets tricky this month, as the very same conjunction around the Sun is square to both Neptune and Chiron in Pisces.

Squares from anything to Neptune are much like opening Pandora's Box, as a lot of psychic-emotional material from the individual and the collective unconscious gets released. This is partly due to the psychic and spiritually opening influences of Neptune and to the urge of the deeper psyche to flush out impurities. Essentially, Chiron does the same job but with a sharper, more shamanic focus going after anything wounded that gets in the way of a person's healing and evolutionary processes.

As uncomfortable, painful and confusing as this may be, it is the actions of an inner ruthless compassion that seeks a person's ultimate health and well being, by unifying the subtle psychic and emotional layers of being with the extrovert passions of fire. In the process, though, the needs of this agenda will, at times, cut across the enlivening energies of all the above fire energy and even undermine its potential for forward movement. That's where it can get very messy!

How far this goes depends on how much a person falls into the fire sign tendency to want to override or ignore anything that smacks of sensitivity and vulnerability, simply wanting to leap over necessary and subtler inner steps. Then the Neptune/Chiron mix will often create some significant ego-defeat, essentially landing the gung-ho centaur in a swamp!

Fortunately, the Jupiter effect gets stronger as the month goes on, even though he will pause at 23 degrees of Leo for the whole month before retrograding in Leo. At present, he sits half way between Juno and the Black Moon, supporting the graciousness of his consort as the Queen of Heaven and marriage, while expanding the purifying fire of the Great Mother as she battles conditioning, deadening ego structures and emotional defences in her square to Saturn in Scorpio.

Venus and Mars are well placed, something that hasn't happened for many months. The goddess of love is also in Sagittarius, close to the Shiva asteroid and in good aspects to Uranus, Jupiter, the Moon's Nodes, and to Juno and Psyche in Aquarius. This last aspect draws up lots of expressive fire energy along with the refinement of the delicious Psyche. She does, however, have squares to Chiron, representing some sharp healing experiences, and to the Moon in Pisces, where once again the dynamism of fire meets very watery territory.

Similarly for Mars, in stabilising mode in Capricorn, he has good aspects - sextiles to the Moon and Saturn, a trine to Medusa in late Virgo and a challenging square to the feminist warrior Lilith in Libra to make sure he doesn't get too complacent. The solid base of this position is especially good for physical achievement and for following through on one's desires.

Well, my friends, this brings us to the end of another unforgettable year in human evolution. Enjoy the Christmas season, gets some quality rest and nurture, as the next one is shaping up to be another big one! With love and blessings.